"Huh? Did we actually find a treasure?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Uchiha Kasage's eyes as he stared at the antique, yellowed, thread-bound book before him. This was clearly a legendary cultivation manual—he hadn't expected to truly obtain something like this.
Carefully, he took the book out and glanced inside the wooden box again. There was nothing else.
Setting the box aside, he eagerly flipped through the pages.
The text was entirely written in traditional Chinese characters. Fortunately, he could recognize most of them. Even when he couldn't, it didn't matter—Kikyo would certainly understand.
Still… it was a little embarrassing.
As a transmigrator, he had always used simplified Chinese in his previous life. Ironically, he knew far fewer traditional characters than Kikyo, who lived in the Warring States period.
In this era, Chinese characters were widely used—official decrees, scriptures, and Buddhist texts were all written in them. As a shrine maiden, Kikyo's mastery of such writing was essential. Talismans, spells, barrier techniques—everything depended on it.
Kasage quickly skimmed through the entire manual. Many obscure cultivation terms left him puzzled, but judging from the title *"Blood Sacrifice to Nourish Wood"* and the mentions of "human sacrifice" and "blood feeding," it was clearly no righteous method.
"This is too obscure. I can't make sense of it," he admitted bluntly, handing the manual to Kikyo.
"Take a look and tell me what it says."
Kikyo accepted the book, giving him a brief, speechless glance before handing back the earlier "elixir of immortality" formulas. Then she lowered her gaze and began reading, her fingertips lightly tracing the characters as she carefully studied each line.
Kasage casually stuffed the formulas back into the wooden box—he had no interest in such fraudulent things.
After closing it, he stood quietly beside her, his gaze unconsciously settling on her profile.
Without the tension of battle, Kikyo seemed different. Her eyelashes were lowered, her expression calm and focused, her entire presence gentle and composed.
"People who look good… really do look good no matter what they're doing," Kasage murmured, his tone filled with unfiltered admiration.
Kikyo paused.
A faint blush crept onto her face. She turned slightly, shooting him a sidelong glance—half reproachful, half embarrassed—before quickly returning her attention to the book.
Perhaps unable to ignore his gaze, her reading speed noticeably increased. Before long, she closed the manual and tossed it back into his arms with a small huff.
"Heh."
Kasage chuckled, unfazed, and placed the manual back into the wooden box. He then stored it—along with the sealed head of the Peach Sage—inside the Kamui dimension.
Before he could ask anything, Kikyo spoke first.
"This 'Blood Sacrifice to Nourish Wood'… is extremely evil," she said, her tone serious. "It's divided into three parts."
"The first part is called *'Blood Sacrifice to Become a Yokai.'*"
"It describes using special methods to nourish ordinary trees with human flesh, turning them into yokai trees that bear human-faced fruit. During the process, the cultivator continuously sacrifices their own blood essence, eventually forming a symbiotic relationship with the tree—similar to a shikigami."
"It not only records the blood sacrifice techniques, but also methods of 'raising humans'… all to maximize their value as nourishment."
Kasage's expression darkened slightly, but he remained silent.
"The second part is called *'Becoming an Immortal by Borrowing Wood.'*"
At this point, Kikyo's expression softened, and a hint of excitement appeared in her voice.
"This part… is actually very useful."
"It explains how to combine the yokai power of the Human-Faced Fruit Tree with human spiritual power to create what they call 'immortal power.'"
"Those who obtain it gain a lifespan comparable to the tree itself—and can wield its yokai techniques."
She turned to him, her eyes shining slightly.
"You once said that yokai power is essentially a form of natural energy. This method of fusing it with spiritual power… perfectly solves the problem I've been struggling with—how to merge the natural energy I perceive with my own spiritual strength."
Kasage's eyes lit up.
"So this trip wasn't for nothing," he said, a genuine smile forming. This—this was what truly mattered. He had no interest in raising monsters, but this method of fusion was invaluable.
Kikyo nodded slightly, then continued:
"The third part is called *'Substituting Plum for Peach.'* This… was likely the Peach Sage's original plan."
Her gaze shifted toward the withered tree stump, her tone growing colder.
"It takes decades to cultivate the yokai tree and merge with it. By the time one truly becomes 'immortal,' their body would already be aged."
"So this method records how the tree absorbs the original body completely… and then uses a disciple."
"The disciple consumes the so-called 'immortality fruit'—but in truth, it serves as a vessel. The cultivator then possesses the disciple's young body and is reborn."
Kasage clicked his tongue.
"So classic… painfully classic."
Even though he had already suspected deception, he hadn't expected such a textbook evil cultivation method.
"In my previous life, nine out of ten evil cultivators trained disciples like this—waiting to seize their bodies. The last one would just refine them into medicine."
He paused, then smirked slightly.
"The appearance of the Shikon Jewel shard must have ruined everything."
Combining everything they knew, he continued:
"It greatly boosted the Human-Faced Fruit Tree's power. It likely broke free from control, turned on the Peach Sage, and used him as fertilizer instead—after taking control of that Peach Fruit man."
Kikyo nodded. "That seems very likely."
"Hm?"
Kasage suddenly frowned.
"The Peach Fruit man… he's dead."
Kikyo followed his gaze.
The man trapped within the tree trunk had completely lost his breath. His once plump body rapidly shriveled, drying out before their eyes until it became a withered corpse.
She frowned slightly.
"Just as the Peach Fairy said… he was controlled by the Human-Faced Fruit Tree. His power came from it. Now that the tree is gone, this outcome was inevitable."
Kasage nodded—but before he could respond—
**Crack!**
A sharp sound echoed.
He turned toward it.
The gourd he had casually tossed aside earlier—belonging to the Peach Fruit man—had shattered completely after losing its yokai power, fragments scattering across the ground.
Kasage's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then, as if realizing something, he abruptly looked up toward the building embedded in the mountainside.
Right on cue—
**BOOM!!!**
A deafening roar erupted through the valley.
The structure collapsed from within. Earth, rocks, broken trees, shattered remains—and even panicked figures—burst outward in a chaotic flood, spilling over the cliffside.
"The bonsai…" Kikyo's expression changed.
"Its yokai power is gone."
Her voice grew urgent.
"Everything inside—the people, the objects—they've all returned to their original forms and been forced out!"
The scene below descended instantly into chaos.